The Wander kid has finally arrived to save the day.
In only his second big league at-bat, baseball’s top prospect Wander Franco smashed a three-run homer in the fifth inning of Tuesday’s 9-5 loss against the Red Sox. The special moment was made even sweeter was that he could share it with his dad.
In the video caught by the Rays social media team, Franco’s dad was in the stands going wild as the ball cleared the fence. You can see him pounding his chest and giving high fives to the surrounding crowd.
“I felt actually super good.” Franco said. “In that at-bat I actually knew I was going to hit a home run because that was the pitch I was looking for, so I ended up getting the pitch I was looking for and I was able to help the team out.
“I expected whatever was going to happen. I couldn’t really predict, but I’m glad things went as well as they did and I’m really happy.”
The 20-year-old from the Dominican Republic was in the Rays’ minor league system for three seasons before being called up on Monday. In 39 games for the Triple-A Durham Bulls this season, Franco hit seven home runs and 35 RBIs while having a .315 batting average.
Franco’s arrival could have come just in time for the Rays, who have now lost seven in a row.